Do not judge a book by its cover or by its title in this case. Boogiepop Phantom sounds very childish, but if one were to search deeper, one would find something far more sinister.
The story of Boogiepop Phantom is simple: an urban legend, Boogiepop is an entity that is believed to be responsible for the recent disappearances of high-school students. The city is currently still entangled in the grisly murders of five years before, where the killer was never found. Many suspect Boogiepop, but no one can confirm anything. Then the light appeared, and everything began change, and with this change, comes a common theme within Boogiepop Phantom: nothing is what it seems. Like the title before it, the story is, in fact, not simple at all: prepare to rack that brain of yours.
The animation is pretty decent. It isn't for eye-candy viewers though, for its dark palette doesn't allow for the bright colors seen in almost all other anime. Thankfully, the picture is clear, so the darkness of the animation is never a problem. However, the series is dark for a reason. The overall atmosphere of the story is very morbid, and depressing. Every episode encounters situation of death, but not with action blazing shootouts. Characters commit suicide, or are killed by Boogiepop, in quite a ghastly manner. Boogiepop Phantom never gets gory, but some of the deaths are definitely not for the faint of heart.
Sound as a whole, is very good. The voices themselves are not excellent, but they get the job done, and easily bring the characters to life; very important as the story is based upon the characters and their views on the overall story of the night that changed their lives forever. The music is very atmospheric, and adds greatly to the thriller aspects of the anime. The opening and closing themes are very upbeat, a complete contrast of the story.
There's no right or wrong in Boogiepop, just a point of view. It's this perspective that drives Boogiepop Phantom forward, and while it's not the greatest thing you'll ever watch, it sure well is the most confusing: the ending will have you with more questions then answers. However, this is the beauty of Boogiepop. It is a serious anime, dealing with serious issues such as the human conscious, and that is enough to separate it from the crowd.
The story of Boogiepop Phantom is simple: an urban legend, Boogiepop is an entity that is believed to be responsible for the recent disappearances of high-school students. The city is currently still entangled in the grisly murders of five years before, where the killer was never found. Many suspect Boogiepop, but no one can confirm anything. Then the light appeared, and everything began change, and with this change, comes a common theme within Boogiepop Phantom: nothing is what it seems. Like the title before it, the story is, in fact, not simple at all: prepare to rack that brain of yours.
The animation is pretty decent. It isn't for eye-candy viewers though, for its dark palette doesn't allow for the bright colors seen in almost all other anime. Thankfully, the picture is clear, so the darkness of the animation is never a problem. However, the series is dark for a reason. The overall atmosphere of the story is very morbid, and depressing. Every episode encounters situation of death, but not with action blazing shootouts. Characters commit suicide, or are killed by Boogiepop, in quite a ghastly manner. Boogiepop Phantom never gets gory, but some of the deaths are definitely not for the faint of heart.
Sound as a whole, is very good. The voices themselves are not excellent, but they get the job done, and easily bring the characters to life; very important as the story is based upon the characters and their views on the overall story of the night that changed their lives forever. The music is very atmospheric, and adds greatly to the thriller aspects of the anime. The opening and closing themes are very upbeat, a complete contrast of the story.
There's no right or wrong in Boogiepop, just a point of view. It's this perspective that drives Boogiepop Phantom forward, and while it's not the greatest thing you'll ever watch, it sure well is the most confusing: the ending will have you with more questions then answers. However, this is the beauty of Boogiepop. It is a serious anime, dealing with serious issues such as the human conscious, and that is enough to separate it from the crowd.